Pennsylvania, United StatesMagnetic latitude 50.6°Population 1,595475 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Smethport?
From Smethport the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 7 or more), usually as a glow low in the north. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does. Since 1995 that level (Kp 7) was reached during darkness here on 73 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:30.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 2.7 expected, 7 needed here.
- Sky Overcast (99% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:30 to 06:27.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
- Detailed forecast Fri 16 2.7 No · Kp 2.7
- Sat 17 1.7 No · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Sun 18 2 No · Kp 2
- Mon 19 2 No · Kp 2
- Tue 20 3 No · Kp 3
- Wed 21 4 No · Kp 4
- Thu 22 4 No · Kp 4
- Fri 23 4 No · Kp 4
- Sat 24 3 No · Kp 3
- Sun 25 2 No · Kp 2
- Mon 26 2 No · Kp 2
- Tue 27 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 28 2 No · Kp 2
- Thu 29 2 No · Kp 2
- Fri 30 5 No · Kp 5
- Sat 31 5 No · Kp 5
- Sun 1 5 No · Kp 5
- Mon 2 3 No · Kp 3
- Tue 3 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 No · Kp 2
- Thu 5 3 No · Kp 3
- Fri 6 3 No · Kp 3
- Sat 7 3 No · Kp 3
Friday 16 October — No · Kp 2.7 · Forecast cloud: 99%. · Reliability: medium
Each box is one night: the colour shows the chance, the number the expected Kp. Tap a night for details.
📅 Add these nights to your calendar — it updates itself (.ics)
How far ahead can the northern lights be forecast?
- Minutes to an hour: satellites 1.5 million km away measure the solar wind before it reaches Earth. This is the surest warning — the “Right now” box uses it.
- 1–3 days: when the Sun throws out a cloud of particles, it takes one to three days to arrive. NOAA's 3-hourly forecast covers these nights; the timing can still be off by a few hours.
- 4–27 days: the Sun turns once every 27 days, and regions that disturbed Earth's field last time often do it again. NOAA's 27-day outlook gives this rough trend — new eruptions are not in it yet.
Tonight
Updated 10:45 local time
Unlikely
Best around 19:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 7), average cloud 99%.
- Dark enough
- 19:30 – 06:27
- Sunset
- 18:30 · sunrise 07:28
- Moon
- 31% · ↑ 13:35 · ↓ 22:10
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 7 (Kp 6 with an open horizon)
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 5.3 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (350°)
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
Seeing it right now?
Tell others in Pennsylvania. Reports from real visitors move a place up the live ranking.
Reports are anonymous: we do not store your IP address or location. One report per place every few hours.
What you would see from Smethport
Facing north. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.
| Kp | What you see | Lower edge | Ray tops | Distance to the aurora |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Below the horizon | -1° | 2° | 1,323 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | 0° | 5° | 1,101 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | 3° | 9° | 878 km |
| 5 | Below the horizon | 6° | 14° | 656 km |
| 6 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 12° | 22° | 434 km |
| 7 | Visible to the north | 25° | 42° | 211 km |
| 8 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 9 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
The Kp scale in plain words
Kp is a 0–9 score for how strongly the Earth's magnetic field is being shaken by the solar wind. The higher it goes, the further from the poles the northern lights reach. Kp 0–2 is a quiet night; Kp 5 and above is a geomagnetic storm.
- Kp 0–2 Quiet Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
- Kp 3 Unsettled next 24 h Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
- Kp 4 Active Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
- Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) camera in Smethport Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
- Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) Northern England, Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, the US Midwest — often clearer in photos than to the eye.
- Kp 7 Strong storm (G3) eye in Smethport Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
- Kp 8 Severe storm (G4) Central Europe to the eye; red sky in photos from northern Italy, Spain, the Balkans and Turkey's Black Sea coast.
- Kp 9 Extreme storm (G5) Seen across Europe and the US; in photos as far south as the Mediterranean, Turkey and North Africa (May 2024).
Light pollution
Rural to suburban. Some sky glow from nearby lights. Moderate displays are fine; faint ones are easier a few kilometres out.
A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the south-south-east. Open in OpenStreetMap
Estimate from NASA VIIRS night-light data (sky-glow model within 50 km). Check access and private land before you go.
Hills and mountains
The terrain rises to about 18° above the horizon towards the north. That hides low aurora: here you need about Kp 7 instead of Kp 6. A hilltop, shore or open field with a clear view to the north helps.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Smethport
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (1% of nights), followed by October (1%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 0.6% | 66% | 9.3 h | 11° / 22°C |
| October | 0.6% | 52% | 10.9 h | 5° / 15°C |
| November | 0% | 41% | 12.0 h | -2° / 7°C |
| December | 0.2% | 22% | 12.6 h | -6° / 1°C |
| January | 0% | 29% | 12.3 h | -9° / -2°C |
| February | 0% | 38% | 11.1 h | -9° / -1°C |
| March | 0% | 48% | 9.9 h | -5° / 5°C |
| April | 0.2% | 48% | 8.4 h | 0° / 12°C |
Aurora nights in Smethport since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 3 July 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 20 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 20 January 2026 · Kp 7.3
- 19 January 2026 · Kp 7.7
- 12 November 2025 · Kp 7.3
- 11 November 2025 · Kp 8.7
- 29 September 2025 · Kp 7.0
- 2 June 2025 · Kp 7.0
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Bradford Regional Airport (BFD) · 16 km
- Typical low / high in September
- 11° / 22°C
- What to wear
- Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 911
- Winter driving
- Tyre and chain rules are set at state level; check Alaska 511 (511.alaska.gov, Alaska DOT&PF) for Alaska roads, or the relevant state's 511 service elsewhere. Road conditions
- Access to land
- There is no general right to roam; trespass law is set by each state, so stay on public land (national parks, national forests, BLM land) or get the landowner's permission, and follow each park's night-time and parking rules.
- Official space-weather service
- NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (aurora dashboard)
- Weather service
- National Weather Service (NOAA)
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Smethport?
From Smethport the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 7 or more), usually as a glow low in the north. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Smethport?
Face north (about 350° from true north). At Kp 7 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 25° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Smethport?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Smethport (1% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by October (1%).
When is the aurora season in Smethport?
Smethport gets dark enough for the aurora all year round, though the long winter nights give the most hours to watch.
Is there much light pollution in Smethport?
Some sky glow from nearby lights. Moderate displays are fine; faint ones are easier a few kilometres out. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the south-south-east.
When was the aurora last possible in Smethport?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Smethport needs, during darkness, was 3 July 2026 (Kp 7.0). It has happened on 73 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Smethport share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Borough of Smethport 0 km
- East Smethport 2 km
- Township of Keating 4 km
- Farmers Valley 6 km
- Ormsby 8 km
- Coryville 9 km
- Crosby 9 km
- McKean 9 km
- Wrights Corners 9 km
- Backus 10 km
- Bordell 10 km
- Colegrove 10 km
- Kasson 10 km
- McKean County 10 km
- Coleville 11 km
- Sartwell 11 km
- Turtlepoint 11 km
- Wolf Run 11 km
- Cyclone 12 km
- Hamlin Station 12 km
- Larabee 12 km
- Marvindale 12 km
- Simpson 12 km
- Bingham 14 km
- Clermont 14 km
- Prentisvale 14 km
- Township of Eldred 15 km
- Gaffney 15 km
- Township of Hamlin 15 km
- Mount Alton 15 km
- Betula 16 km
- Hazel Hurst 16 km
- Kushequa 16 km
- Township of Norwich 17 km
- Norwich 18 km
- Township of Sergeant 18 km